Annual Giving Officer

Background:

The Kirk Gibson Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality of life of those living with Parkinson’s through the development and delivery of activity-based programs, has recently opened the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Funded and supported by the Foundation, the Center is the first of its kind in the state to offer daily programs and activities free of charge to people living with Parkinson’s disease, their families and care partners. The Center also serves as a beacon of hope, help, and inspiration to those battling the disease, and will build a community of support and compassion while researching and developing better movement-based programs. Over 60,000 class hours will be offered each year.

Position Summary:

The Annual Giving Officer is responsible for developing and executing a data-informed annual giving program that builds a sustainable base of donors and revenue for the newly opened Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness. This position emphasizes donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading through strategic, multi-channel fundraising efforts. A key component of this role is deep analysis of donor trends, segmentation, and campaign performance to continuously improve fundraising effectiveness and donor experience.

The ideal candidate combines creativity with analytical rigor and has a strong understanding and track record of success in monitoring donor behavior, retention strategy, and annual fund best practices.

• Lead the design and execution of annual giving strategies across direct mail, email, and social media.
• Develop and manage a year-round calendar of appeals, stewardship communications, and donor engagement opportunities.
• Identify and implement new strategies to increase donor acquisition and average gift size while reducing donor attrition.
• Serve as a liaison for peer-to-peer fundraising activities, when necessary.

2. Donor Retention & Engagement

• Monitor and improve donor retention rates through segmentation, tailored messaging, and targeted re-engagement campaigns.
• Implement and manage a comprehensive acknowledgement and stewardship program for annual donors, including personalized thank you touchpoints, impact reporting, and recognition.
• Design and lead donor journey mapping and lifecycle analysis to optimize engagement at each stage of the donor relationship.

3. Data Analysis & Reporting -Prospect Research

• Analyze donor giving patterns, retention trends, and campaign performance using CRM and reporting tools.
• Regularly report on KPIs such as donor retention, acquisition cost, lifetime giving, conversion rates, and campaign ROI.
• Create actionable dashboards and reports to guide decision-making for the development team and leadership.
• Collaborate with appropriate staff members to ensure clean data for segmentation and reporting.

4. Donor Segmentation & Personalization

• Develop segmentation strategies based on giving history, demographics, behavior, and engagement levels.
• Work with communications and marketing teams to produce personalized donor messaging and appeals that resonate with each segment.

5. Cross-Team Collaboration

• Partner with the Chief Development Officer and other appropriate staff to support donor pipeline development.
• Work with finance and database teams to reconcile revenue, maintain donor records, and ensure consistent reporting.
• Coordinate with marketing/communications for branded and mission-aligned campaign content.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, communications, marketing, or related field.
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a focus on annual giving, donor retention, or data analytics.
• Strong understanding of donor behavior, fundraising metrics, and annual fund best practices.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to use data to drive decisions
• Advanced proficiency with donor databases, Excel, and reporting tools (name current database)
• Experience developing and analyzing fundraising dashboards and reports.
• Exceptional writing, communication, and project management skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing multi-channel fundraising campaigns.
• Familiarity with CRM systems and fundraising analytics tools.
• Experience with digital fundraising platforms and email marketing tools